Roller mills for grinding cereal products



April 21, 1964 T. J. A. BROWN ETAL 3,129,897

ROLLER MILLS FOR GRINDING CEREAL PRODUCTS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June ll, 1962 /////l/ l l /l/l INVENToRsi THQ/14,46' J A. Pow/V FQEDEe/CK 5x/GLAN@ BY l ATTORNEY April 21, 1964 T, J. A, BROWN ETAL 3,129,897

ROLLER MILLS FOR GRINDING CEREAL PRODUCTS Filed June l1, 1962 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INV ENT ORS 771044.45 JT 4.5mm/ FpEaee/cz ENGL/wo United States Patent 3,129,897 ROLLER MILLS FOR GRINDING CEREAL PRODUCTS Thomas I. A. Brown, Buxton, and Frederick England, Cheadle, England, assignors to Henry Simon Limited, Cheadle Heath, Stockport, England, a British company Filed .lune 11, 1962, Ser. No. 201,653 Claims priority, application Great Britain June 30, 1961 Claims. (Cl. 241-143) This invention relates to rollermills for grinding cereal products or the like and particularly to the feeding of materials to be ground in rollermills wherein the grinding rolls are mounted on a common substantially horizontal plane, and has for its object to provide material feed control means whereby the flour producing etlciency of the grinding process is increased.

According to the present invention there is provided a rollermill for grinding cereal products or the lce comprising a pair of parallel grinding rolls mounted on a common substantially horizontal plane, roll driving means whereby one roll rotates at a faster peripheral speed than the other, feeding means whereby material to be ground is fed to the rolls as a continuous curtain of constant density, and deilector means arranged to intercept the falling curtain of material and re-direct it in the form of a continuous layer of constant density to the surface of one of the grinding rolls at a position which is parallel to and rotationally in advance of the nip of the rolls by an amount in the angular range between and 42.

Preferably, the deector means is a plate which is mounted in such a manner that the proximity of its lower end to the grinding roll surface and its angle relative to the falling curtain of material from the feeding means may be adjusted at will to an optimum state for the grinding conditions applying.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows a sectional side elevation of a roller mill,

FIG. 2 is a sectional front View of a part of the roller mill shown in FIG. l,

FIG. 3 shows a concave deflector plate for use with the roller mill, and

FIG. 4 shows a convex deflector plate for use with the roller mill.

Referring to the drawing a rollermill comprises a housing 1 within which is mounted on framework (not shown) a pair of parallel grinding rolls 2, 3. The rolls 2, 3 are mounted on a common substantially horizontal plane and are driven through gearing 2 and 3 by means of which one roll 3 rotates at a faster peripheral speed than the other roll 2. Mounted above the rolls 2, 3 is a feedbox 4 from which material 5 to be ground is fed downwardly to the grinding rolls 2, 3, the material 5 falling as a continuous curtain of constant density extending over the full length of the rolls. A deilector plate 6 is located over the rolls 2 and 3 and extends over the full length of the rolls, the purpose of the deector plate 6 being to intercept the falling curtain of material 5 and to redirect it in the form of a continuous layer of constant density on to the surface of one of the grinding rolls at a position which Oflce is parallel to and rotationally in advance of the nip of the rolls 2 and 3 by an amount in the angular range between 10 and 42. The deilector plate 6 is mounted on the framework by adjusting screws 7 and 8 whereby position of the deilector plate 6 can be altered so that the proximity of its lower end to the grinding roll surface and its angle relative to the falling curtain of material 5 from the feedbox d respectively can be adjusted at will to an optimium state for the grinding conditions applying.

By the employment of a deilector plate 6 as described above which is adjusted to the optimum condition for the circumstances applying, we have, for a given output rate of our from a given input rate of flour producing material, reduced the horsepower requirements of the process to substantially one third of that required when the curtain 0f material is allowed to fall directly into the nip of the rolls.

The surface of the detlector plate 6 which is presented to the falling curtain of material 5 need not be dat as shown in the drawing but can be curved at right angles to its length to offer a concave surface 9 as illustrated in FIG. 3 or a convex surface 10 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Alternatively attachment means 11 can be incorporated whereby deilector plates presenting differing surface shapes can be readily interchanged.

What we claim is:

1. A rollermill for grinding cereal products or the like comprising a pair of parallel grinding rolls mounted on a common substantially horizontal plane, roll driving means whereby one roll rotates at a faster peripheral speed than the other, feeding means whereby material to be ground is fed to the rolls as a continuous curtain of constant density, and deflector means arranged to intercept the falling curtain of material and re-direct it in the form of a continuous layer of constant density to the surface of one of the grinding rolls at a position which is parallel to and rotationally in advance of the nip of the rolls by an amount in the angular range between 10 and 42.

2. A rollermill as claimed in claim 1, in which the deector means is a plate which is adjustably mounted above the rolls in such a manner that the proximity of its lower end to the grinding roll surface and its angle relative to the falling curtain of material can be adjusted at will to an optimum state for the grinding conditions applymg.

3. A rollermill as claimed in claim 1, in which the material to be ground is fed as a continuous curtain of constant density extending over the full length of the rolls, the deflector means also extending over said full length.

4. A rollermill as claimed in claim 2, in which the deflector plate is curved at right angles to its length to offer a concave or convex surface to the falling curtain of material.

5. A rollermill as claimed in claim 2, in which the deilector plate is mounted so as to be interchangeable with other plates which present differing surface shapes to the falling curtain of material which is deflected thereby.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,991,019 Sugden July 4, 1961 

1. A ROLLERMILL FOR GRINDING CEREAL PRODUCTS OR THE LIKE COMPRISING A PAIR OF PARALLEL GRINDING ROLLS MOUNTED ON A COMMON SUBSTANTIALLY HORIZONTAL PLANE, ROLL DRIVING MEANS WHEREBY ONE ROLL ROTATES AT A FASTER PERIPHERAL SPEED THAN THE OTHER, FEEDING MEANS WHEREBY MATERIAL TO BE GROUND IS FED TO THE ROLLS AS A CONTINUOUS CURTAIN OF CONSTANT DENSITY, AND DEFLECTOR MEANS ARRANGED TO INTERCEPT THE FALLING CURTAIN OF MATERIAL AND RE-DIRECT IT IN THE FORM OF A CONTINUOUS LAYER OF CONSTANT DENSITY TO THE SURFACE OF ONE OF THE GRINDING ROLLS AT A POSITION WHICH IS PARALLEL TO AND ROTATIONALLY IN ADVANCE OF THE NIP OF THE ROLLS BY AN AMOUNT IN THE ANGULAR RANGE BETWEEN 10* AND 42*. 